1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally relates to an antenna for receiving and/or transmitting a circularly polarized radio frequency (RF) signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various antennas for receiving circularly polarized RF signals are known in the art. In the antennas of the prior art, dielectric layers are typically used to isolate a radiation element, such as a discrete metal-based patch radiation element, from other elements of the antenna, such as a feeding probe and a ground plane. One example of such an antenna is disclosed in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0195114 A1 to Yegin et al. (the Yegin et al. publication). The Yegin et al. publication discloses an antenna mounted to a windshield of an automobile. The antenna includes the ground plane supporting the dielectric layer. Further, the dielectric layer is supporting a metal layer having a slot, and the feeding probe excites the metal layer to radiate across the edges of the dielectric layer.
Although the antenna of the Yegin et al. publication can receive and/or transmit circularly polarized RF signals, there remains an opportunity to provide an antenna that achieves circular polarization radiation and/or linear polarization radiation from all surfaces of the dielectric layer that extend transverse relative to the ground plane or are parallel to and spaced from the ground plane and maintain or improve the performance of the antenna, including increasing bandwidth, increasing efficiency, decreasing size, decreasing manufacturing complexity, decreasing sensitivity, and eliminating surface wave radiation.